Caribou Lake

Cook County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

720 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index64Mixedwooded shoreline

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

Caribou Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 720 acres in Cook County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1991.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Survey year: 1991
Surface area: 720 acres
Shoreline: 10.19 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Caribou Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

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Location

Cook County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 37 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 47.71116, -90.65038
MN DNR lake ID: 16036000
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25

64 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Caribou Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	24.8 of 35	77% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (66% forest, 10% wetland; 18% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	13.6 of 29	mean fetch 1,490 m · 4% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Motor & speed rules	Not modeled	—	Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public access	Good	15.0 of 18	1 DNR public access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Good	10.3 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 7 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 796 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 1% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Moderate — 66% forest and 10% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MN DNR Water Access Sites and Fishing Piers & Shore Fishing Sites (2026-09) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2010–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

8 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

White Sucker

Shiner

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2022

456Fish sampled

9Species

Gamefish Walleye 67 · Smallmouth Bass 30 · Northern Pike 26

Panfish Yellow Perch 175 · Bluegill 18 · Black Crappie 4

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Walleye67 caught · to 22″

Smallmouth Bass30 caught · to 18″

Northern Pike26 caught · to 35″

Panfish

Yellow Perch175 caught · to 10″

Bluegill18 caught · to 7″

Black Crappie4 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Shiner78 caught

White Sucker41 caught · to 23″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Caribou Lake — common questions

How deep is Caribou Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Caribou Lake is 25 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Caribou Lake?

Caribou Lake covers about 720 acres in Cook County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Caribou Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Caribou Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Caribou Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock and restrooms. It is administered by the DNR Division of Parks and Trails. DNR directions: "4.5 mi N of Lutsen off CSAH 4 on SW shore."

More lakes in Cook County